Susan Schaefer Davis is an anthropologist with extensive research experience with women and adolescents, and development work in North Africa for agencies including the World Bank, FAO, USAID and the Peace Corps.  Her interest began as a Peace Corps Volunteer in a rural women’s center in Sidi Kacem Zaouia, and since then she has lived in Morocco for about fourteen years.  She has held teaching or research positions at Haverford College, the University of Pennsylvania, Trenton State College (now College of New Jersey), Rutgers University and Al Akhawayn University in Morocco, and was a Post-doctoral Fellow at Harvard.  Her work focuses on Moroccan women, adolescence, and changing gender roles.  She has written numerous articles on these topics and two books, Patience and Power: Women’s Lives in a Moroccan Village, and Adolescence in a Moroccan Town.  The illustrated website www.marrakeshexpress.org shares her knowledge and collection of Moroccan textiles.  She considers the non-profit section “Women Weavers OnLine” her personal development project in Morocco, putting weavers in two villages in direct touch with their customers, and educating customers about the lives of these women.  She also leads educational trips to Morocco, highlighting meetings with Moroccans from many walks of life.  She has a Ph.D. in anthropology from the University of Michigan.

Dr. Davis' presentation, entitled "Souk nsa: Moroccan women’s economic participation and empowerment," will discuss if and how economic participation empowers Moroccan women, focusing on a case study of rural women whose rugs are marketed on the Internet.